Leader of the Pack
by Menamebephil
Summary: A brutal attack forces the Titans to address issues that they thought they had left in the dust long ago.
1. The Incident

**Leader of the Pack.**

**Chapter 1:The "Incident".**

As far as the public knew, it had just been a normal mission. And, at least in part, they were right. It was just Adonis, causing havoc at the local sports centre. Adonis had always puzzled the Titans; what point was there in attacking gyms? In any case, he was usually easy to get rid of. And this time was no different. So, this was just business as usual for the Titans, right?

Bullshit.

"Cyborg, I thought you said you'd cured it!"

"I did!"

"Obviously not enough!"

"Friends! We must not fight over this! The only thing we should do now is find out what caused this to occur!"

Robin and Cyborg glared at each other for a moment, and then looked away.

"You're right, Starfire. We _need_ to find out what triggered this."

"Well, it looks like the same thing that triggered it last time…" Cyborg looked over at the two unconscious figures in the med bay, one hovering over her bed, and the other literally chained to his.

The voice whispered in his ear, as always.

**Rip. Tear. ****Hunt.**

And, as always, he ignored it.

He flew through an open window, his opponent gloating, unaware of his prescence.

**Remember. Hurt. Kill!**

He sat in the rafters, an emerald lemur, his tail twitching, his eyes focused on the battle below, his nose attempting to ignore the suffocating stench of chlorine, waiting for the opportune moment.

Then things went wrong. A crash; and Cyborg was sent spinning into Robin, knocking them both unconscious.

A bench was hurled upwards at Starfire, knocking her through a wall.

A scream, suddenly cut short. A splash. And suddenly, the voice started shouting.

**Kill! Kill! Kill!**

And Beast Boy listened.

Raven sighed. Of all the places that Adonis had to terrorise, he had chosen a _swimming pool_. _Why? _It made no logical sense. Adonis seemed to have finished his mindless gloating, and Raven began to pay attention to what he was doing.

She risked a glance upwards, seeing Beast Boy waiting in the gloom. Excellent. Everything was going to plan.

Then things went wrong. A crash; and Cyborg was sent spinning into Robin, knocking them both unconscious.

A bench was hurled upwards at Starfire, knocking her through a wall.

Raven suddenly found herself alone, with a testosterone-fuelled lunatic in a battlesuit. Not a good position. He edged to the left, and she accordingly edged to the right. He shifted his weight, a smug grin plastered to his features. Raven had had enough of that grin.

"Azerath metrion-"

She never got to finish her incantation, as Adonis suddenly leapt, sending her crashing into the pool that Adonis had manoeuvred her into standing in front of. She was now under water, with one and a half tonnes of supervillain holding her down.

Only two words echoed through her brain as everything went dark.

Oh shit.

Adonis grinned. Little did those _loser_ Titans know that attacking this pool was all part of his _master plan_ that would show _everyone_ just how _manly_ he was.

"Huh! You losers think you can stop the might of Adonis? Bring it on! I need a good workout anyway!"

"Hey, Adonis…"

"What?"

"Shut up." Cyborg grinned to himself. It seemed Robin had finally run out of one liners. He ran to throw a punch at Adonis. It didn't quite go as planned. Adonis caught his fist and hurled him backwards into Robin; the resulting impact left him in temporary standby mode so that his computerised brain could assess the damage. And Robin was unconscious too.

Starfire stopped short mid strafing run when she saw her friends fly backwards; it would cost her, as when she turned back she saw a bench hurtling towards her and everything went dark.

Adonis smirked. Three down, two to go. It occurred to him that the weedy green one hadn't shown, but thought little of it. Maybe that wimp had been scared off by his physique. Adonis didn't blame him.

The villain turned his attention to the last Titan in his way. Raven. Adonis wondered briefly how she managed to consistently resist his obvious charms, but remembered that she had magic powers, so it was probably a spell or something. Whatever. Right now, she was in the way, and he had to get rid of her. Grinning, he saw a way to do that.

Shifting to his right, he grinned wider as the little witch slid left. Obviously her puny intellect could not comprehend his brilliant plan. As she began to chant her damn spell, he decided that then was the time to leap. So he did.

His plan worked like a charm, and after a few seconds he had her underwater, and he held her there. He smirked to himself. This was gonna do wonders for his reputation. He, Adonis, had taken down a Titan! Not even Slade had managed something like that!

It never occurred to Adonis that the reason that Slade had never tried to kill a Titan was that he knew what the rest of the Titans would do to him afterwards.

When Adonis noticed the green behemoth descending upon him like the wrath of the gods, he did what any reasonable person would have done: screamed like a girl and ran for his life.

Robin awoke to a strange scene. From his uncomfortable position, pinned underneath Cyborg, he watched as the Beast gently, almost…tenderly…carried Raven out of the pool and laid her on her back. After staring at her for a moment, the creature turned his attentions to the retreating criminal, and let loose a howl that made Robin's blood run cold. He watched, helpless, as Adonis was caught and flung like a rag doll. He silently observed as the villain's cybernetic armour was shredded like tinfoil, and the arms of the battlesuit were ripped off with the barest hint of exertion. As Robin struggled out from under his team mate, he noticed, with a shock of realisation, the Beast's arm raised above the screaming villain. Robin found himself yelling something; he couldn't work out what, and fired a tranquilizer dart into the Beast's neck before murder was done.


	2. Recuperation

Raven awoke with a gasp from dreams of suffocation and bellowing monsters. The first thing she saw was Cyborg's concerned face, and she felt his worry abate only slightly when he saw that she was conscious. This did not bode well.

"You're awake."

"Yeah…what happened?"

"Adonis got you underwater, apparently."

"Apparently?"

"I wasn't functioning at the time." Raven could hear the reproach in his voice and knew he was blaming himself for the incident.

"So who stopped him?"

"Beast Boy dropped from the rafters and threw him off you."

"But there's more to it than that." It wasn't a question. Cyborg nodded in response.

"I gotta warn you now, when the little dude wakes up the shit is _really_ gonna hit the fan."

"Why?" Raven's mind had already supplied the only logical answer, but she didn't want to accept it. _And besides, Cyborg gave him an antidote…_

It dawned on Raven that Cyborg was no longer looking at her, and she followed her gaze to the diminutive figure in the next bed.

"Oh no…" Raven whispered under her breath. His ears were twitching wildly, and from time to time he let out a low growl, despite the fact that he was obviously sedated. However, the thing that caught her attention was the fact that he was restrained, not by the normal straps, but by several heavy chains.

"Dunno why Robin told us to chain him down in the first place." Cyborg's voice cut through her shock, and she looked over at him, hoping that he shared in her outrage.

"Apart from anything else, that thing could bust out of them like they're rice paper if it wanted."

So much for that then. But time enough to lash out at him for his insensitivity later. She doubted she could help Beast Boy if she had to be locked away to keep everyone safe from a maelstrom of her powers.

"Tell me what happened, Cyborg."

"Apparently, after he got you underwater, he musta been trying to drown you or something, 'cause Beast Boy went crazy and tried to kill him."

"Did he…"

"No, Robin tranquilised him before he… did anything he would regret." Raven released a breath she did not realise she had been holding.

"Where are the others?" The mention of Robin had made her register their leader's absence for the first time.

"Robin's taking out his anger on the punching bags, and Star is trying to stop him killing himself doing it."

"What's Robin got to be angry at?"

"He thinks that he let this happen by not being ready."

"And you think that too."

Cyborg looked away, but didn't deny it. "I screwed up, Rae. I let that moron take me down in seconds. If we'd just stopped him earlier-"

"But you didn't, so stop dwelling on the past and learn to deal with the present. Blaming yourself won't help Beast Boy."

Cyborg still couldn't meet her gaze, but knew she was right. He turned to her and was about to say something when he was interrupted.

"Huuhh…what happened?"

---------------------------------------------

The first thing Beast Boy heard when he dragged himself into consciousness were voices. Three of them. Two were incomprehensible, but one, more familiar than the others, was crystal clear.

**Hurt. Tied. Want run.**

Cyborg started talking, but Beast Boy couldn't make out the words. At his voice, the whisper in his ear turned into a growl.

**Failed. Teach.**

Then Raven started to respond. He couldn't make out her words but her effect was instantaneous. The whisperer fell silent, and, as she spoke his name, he felt his head clear enough to announce his return to the waking world.

"Huuhh…what happened?"

Not the most eloquent or witty of starts, but it would do.

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Left. Right. Left. Right. Left-Left-Right.

The blows rained down methodically on the hapless punch bag, but the aggressive nature of the exercise did little to ease Robin's mood. With a frustrated cry, he tore away and sat dejectedly on the bench.

"Friend Robin, what is wrong?" Starfire hovered over his shoulder, like an oversized conscience angel.

"Nothing." Starfire frowned.

"There is not 'nothing' wrong, Robin. If nothing were wrong you would not be so grouchy and silent."

Robin sighed. How was he going to explain the weight he felt in his chest; the inescapable feeling that he had allowed this whole damn situation to get out of hand? And how could he explain this to Starfire? It was impossible. He opened his mouth to try anyway, but was cut off.

"It was not your fault. You should not blame yourself."

Obviously she knew him well. He tried to speak again, and was again cut off.

"No. In your position, even one of the legendary Fighting Monks of Astesh would have fallen, and they can defeat a Rebnax with their bare hands."

Robin allowed himself a small smile at that. She always knew just what to say.

"Starfire, I…thanks."

Starfire smiled, encouraging him to continue, but just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by a familiar nine-note refrain.

"Yes, Cyborg?"

"He's woken up."

As Starfire watched Robin's retreating form, she wondered what he had been about to say.


	3. Explanation

**Chapter 3:Explanation.**

"Beast Boy, you need to tell me what happened."

**Usurper. Challenge. Defeat.**

"Dude, I'm telling you, I don't know! I can't remember anything!"

"Man, why did the Beast get loose? I mean, I gave you a cure…"

**Weak.**

"Please, friend, you must tell us what is wrong, otherwise we cannot help you."

**Fool. **

"Seriously, man, you need to remember!"

**Discipline.**

"Beast Boy-"

"Friend, why do you clutch your head in such a manner? Are you unwell?"

**Show who Alpha.**

"SHUT UP!" Beast Boy's voice carried enough of a bark to command the floor. "I can't think with you three shouting at me!" His team mates looked stunned, and he took this opportunity to speak, before Robin recovered his composure. "Look, guys, if you'll give me a minute, I can explain everything about him-"

"Him?"

"The Beast, Cyborg, but I can't if you keep interrupting me like that!"

"Alright man, so tell us."

Beast Boy took several deep breaths to calm down. "Alright, the first thing you need to get your heads around is this: the Beast is _me_. Not some demonic possession, not some Hulk-like alter ego, but _me_."

"Friend, I truly do not understand. If he is you, then why does he act so cruelly?"

"Because he's a…simplified…me. Kinda like, if I want something, I'll ask for it, and if I can't have it, I'll leave it. He just takes it."

"So he's basically Beast Boy's Id." Raven supplied from the corner she had occupied.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Hold up, little man. Where'd _you_ find out what "Id" means?"

"Forbidden Planet. Great movie. But anyway, he's my subconscious. He's not 'evil', unless I am. The next thing you need to know, is that he's not new."

"But, the chemicals-"

"The chemicals, Robin, gave him a form, but his voice has been whispering in my ear ever since I got my powers. He's not something an injection can cure; he's the voice of my instincts."

Raven tried to process this information, and failed miserably.

"So…how often does he talk to you?"

"All the time."

"All the time being, like, every day?" Cyborg's voice held a tinge of desperation, and Raven could tell he felt way out of his depth.

"No, all the time being all the time."

"So, he's talking to you now?"

"Yes."

"What's he saying?"

"What?"

"If we know what sort of things he's saying, we can deal with it more easily."

"…Okay, right now he wants me to beat the crap out of you, Robin. And, to a lesser extent, Starfire and Cyborg."

The silence that followed his statement went on too long for Beast Boy's liking.

"Well, good thing _that_ wasn't unexpected." Thankfully, and most unusually, Raven was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry, you want to _attack _me?"

"In a way."

"Do I get to know why?"

"Several reasons, I guess, but the main one is the fact that you're Alpha."

"…What does that mean?"

"You're the boss. Wolf metaphors work well in describing his way of thinking. Basically, he views this team as his 'pack', and in a pack, the strongest leads."

"And he believes he is the strongest?" Starfire's voice was laced with concern. She did not wish to see any of her friends fight, and Robin least of all.

"Care to argue with him on that one?"

"….Good point."

"So, to recap, Beast Boy's subconscious has been given a form powerful enough to do whatever the hell it wants."

"Yeah."

"And amongst the things it wants is to inflict serious pain on three fifths of the team?"

"Yeah."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"Whilst Cyborg's expression is crude, I share his sentiments. What are we gonna do about it?"

"We could, perhaps, try to give the Beast what it wants? Maybe we should allow it to lead on the next mission?"

"Not a good idea, Star."

"Why?"

"He doesn't get the whole 'prison' thing. To him, it's a hunt, and he never gets why we don't eat the criminal once we've beaten them."

"…Oh. So what would you suggest?"

"I really don't know. But until we've got this sorted out, I'm not going on missions."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm a little uncomfortable about going out there knowing that the instant he gets control I could attack any one of you, and kill whoever we're fighting!" Beast Boy sounded on the verge of mania, and Raven knew he couldn't take much more of this.

"I suppose that makes sense. But how are we going to deal with this?"

"I don't know. I just don't know."

"I suppose we'd better sleep on it. Beast, Boy, do you think you would be okay in here tonight?"

"Yeah, no problem, Rob."

As they filed out, Raven saw that Beast Boy had a distant look on his face, as though he were deliberating something in his mind. Unsurprising, really.

"Hey, Raven?"

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I talk to you for a bit?"

Strange. He never really went to her if there was something he wanted. "Sure." She turned and sat on the chair next to his bed.

"Before we talk, could you get these chains off me, please?" Seeing Raven hesitate, he continued. "Don't worry, he's calm now. He only gets aggravated around Robin, really."

"Why Robin?"

"That's what I want to talk to you about."

Raven internally shrugged, and freed him from his bonds.

"Thanks."

"So, what's the problem with Robin?"

"Raven…" Beast Boy looked decidedly nervous as he continued "what would you say if I told you that I wasn't _completely_ truthful when I talked to Robin earlier?"

"Well-" Beast Boy gave a pre-emptive wince as she spoke "it depends. If you told me the truth immediately, and gave a good reason why you lied, then I might understand."

"It wasn't really _lying_, I just…you know…missed some bits out." Raven sat impassively, waiting for him to continue. "It mainly has to do with the incident that created the Beast's form in the first place." Raven's continued silence was the only response. "To speed this up, how much did the others tell you about what happened?"

"Not much, just that they found me in your teeth and you attacked them, but also saved them from Adonis."

"Who told you that?"

"Robin."

"That explains it."

"explains what?"

"Most of that is…well, _lie_ is the wrong word, but it's a bit…what's the word where it's true for one person but not for another?"

Raven thought for a moment. "Subjective?"

"I'll take your word for it, but yeah, that." Raven rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I _did _fight them, but they struck the first blow. From the point of view of the Beast, he was defending himself from a challenger and a mutinous pack."

"How do you remember this?"

"I don't. He told me."

"And you trust him?"

"And you trust Robin?"

Raven was puzzled by the question. "Of course."

"Well, I'd believe myself over him anyday, especially when it's over something like this, when the Boy Wonder screwed up."

Raven indicated the conceded point with a nod of the head.

"The Beast thinks he's weak. That he's a poor Alpha. He also thinks Cyborg and Starfire need 'discipline'."

"What did they do?"

"They sided with Rob."

"Whilst we're going through the team, what's his opinion on you?"

Beast Boy looked nonplussed by the question. "What do you mean?"

Raven sighed, exasperated. "What is the Beast's opinion on Beast Boy?"

It was Beast Boy's turn to sigh. "I told you guys earlier, the Beast _is_ me. From the point of view of his voice, there isn't a difference."

"Oh. So, what does it think of me?"

Beast Boy was silent for a moment, staring at nothing. "I'm not sure. He's quiet around you."

"Really?" Raven wasn't quite sure what to make of this.

"Yeah. As far as I can tell, he thinks you're the only 'loyal' pack member."

"Oh." Raven couldn't help but feel slightly flattered at this. "Well, if you're done talking, I'm gonna get some sleep. We'll figure this out in the morning."

"Okay." Raven turned to go. "And…thanks."

"It was nothing." Raven walked out the door, and Beast Boy slipped into dreams of the hunt.


	4. A Cheap Alternative to Therapy

**Chapter 4: A cheap alternative to therapy.**

Raven was up early the next day, an unusual occurrence for her; as she had once revealed to Robin, she was not at her best in the early mornings. However, her sleep had been fitful, and she had found herself jerked into wakefulness by a particularly vivid nightmare. As she sat nursing her fifth cup of tea, she was interrupted by the Tower's resident dawn riser, Robin.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Raven nodded, feeling strangely uncomfortable around Robin after the events of last night, and Beast Boy's startling revelations.

As if sensing her unease, Robin took control of the conversation, something that came naturally to him.

"I've had an idea about how we can resolve Beast Boy's problem, but I thought you should know about it first, it being kinda your field." Robin poured a black coffee with practised ease as he spoke, his back to her.

"What would it involve?" Raven asked, her mind flashing through all the various things that could be deemed her 'field', telekinesis (unlikely), dream interpretation (possible), necromancy (please dear God no)…

"Well, as strange as it may sound, I think that the best way to deal with this would be for each of us to try to reconcile with the Beast."

"And how would you do that?"

"Well…I kinda hoped you could read its mind…"

"You're asking me to delve into the subconscious desires of a teenage boy? Do you know what might be lurking there?"

Robin grinned to himself, pleased that Raven had not been so rattled by the whole situation to lose her sardonic touch.

"Well, not exactly read its mind, just, you know, _translate_ for us." Raven nodded, reassured, but Robin wasn't finished. "However, I don't know how to keep the Beast calm while we're talking. Maybe Beast Boy has some ideas."

'_He's quiet around you'_ Raven recalled Beast Boy's closing words last night, and smiled inwardly, in spite of herself. "I have a feeling he might know."

Robin nodded, businesslike as ever. "Good." Just then Cyborg walked in, a gargantuan yawn announcing his prescence.

"Mornin' y'all."

"So, who should go first? I don't think it should be you, before you volunteer."

"Why not?" Robin tried not to be put out. How was it that everyone seemed to be able to anticipate his reactions lately?

"…Let's just say the Beast's problems with you are more complicated than you thought." Raven cryptically revealed, reluctant to tell Robin what Beast Boy had confided in her.

"Alright, then I think Cyborg should go first."

"Say what? What do you want me to do now?" Cyborg advanced on them, waving a frying pan he had just taken out of the cupboards, no doubt intending to cook up one of his carnivorous breakfasts.

"Robin, do you think you could wake Starfire? I think we should all be there when we do this, and I can explain what we're going to do to Cyborg."

"Okay." Robin tried to maintain a level walk, and to his credit, managed it. There was no trace at all of the excitement in his mind as he went off to wake Starfire. Too bad for him that Raven was empathetic.

"What you gonna do to me?"

Raven smirked to herself at her predictable leader as she outlined the plan- such as it was- to Cyborg.

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"So, your master plan is basically me in a room with that thing, with only you sitting in the corner as backup, in case it tries to kill me?"

Raven nodded, although she was certain that Cyborg was in no real danger. A pity he did not share her confidence.

"Raven, do you know what that thing is capable of?" Cyborg sounded almost hysterical.

"Well, it is a strong fighter, and-"

"It took down me, Star and Rob in about thirty seconds! If it's pissed at me, like B says it is, then it's gonna jump me the moment it gets the chance!"

Raven, although surprised at the clarification of how strong the Beast was, had had enough. She had been talking for nearly ten minutes, trying to persuade Cyborg to go along with the plan, but he had been far from cooperative. And Robin still hadn't got back from Starfire's room. Not that she was making implications or anything, but Starfire's room was a thirty second walk from the Common Room. Seriously, _what _was he doing?

Shaking her head to expel an unexpected and certainly unwelcome mental image, Raven decided to go for Cyborg's jugular. Figuratively, at least.

"Cyborg, if you don't stop your pointless whining and go along with this, I'll tell Beast Boy about a certain thought file I found from your time with the HIVE when I was healing you…"

Cyborg's face drained of colour, as far as it was able, being semi-robotic. Raven nodded, satisfied that there would be no more problems from _him_ at least.

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Starfire was having a crisis of conscience. In truth, she did not like this unpleasant situation with 'the Beast', and she wished for her friends to resolve their problems as quickly as possible, and she felt that anything that could repair their relationships was worth attempting. But, as she sat behind the two-way mirror that allowed her to witness the events unfolding in the interrogation room, she could not quash the feeling that this was a monumental error of judgment.

When Robin had outlined the plan to her not half an hour ago, she had been unconvinced, but had reluctantly agreed, as she knew that she could not hope to dissuade Robin on her own. She had hoped to find camaraderie with Raven, who she felt sure would not approve of such a foolhardy plan. But no, Raven seemed convinced it was the right course of action, and even Cyborg was strangely silent. The only person who had the courage of their convictions to speak out against this plan was Beast Boy, but it had been a futile struggle. And so she sat, watching two of her dear friends sit within five feet of a creature that could lacerate both of them within three seconds, if it were so inclined.

And, at first, it seemed to be so inclined. It had taken all of her faith in Robin's faculties as a leader to prevent her from smashing through the glass and doing battle with the green behemoth as it had reared up and bared its impressive fangs at Cyborg, who, strangely, had not reacted. Then Starfire had been flabbergasted, as she watched the Beast suddenly stop his violent display, padded over to the corner of the room, and lay down, the picture of confident repose, as if he was aware that the two mostly-humans before him were not here to threaten him. Or that they were no threat at all, and the Beast was merely replete. Starfire had mentally shaking herself, cursing her over reactive imagination.

As Starfire turned back to the scene before her, she noticed that Cyborg had his head bowed, and Raven appeared to be saying something, but the glass prevented her words from reaching the observers. Whatever it was, it seemed to have resonated within Cyborg, because now he was looking at the Beast with an unreadable expression. After a few moments, the Beast shifted back into Beast Boy. However, the interview did not appear to be over, and Beast Boy started talking. Starfire observed that Beast Boy seemed in a much better mood than he had been previously, and had even cracked a joke, as evidenced by the fact that Raven had grabbed her face and seemingly attempted to pull it off, something Starfire had noticed her doing often when Beast Boy was telling jokes. Taking both this and the fact that both her friends had managed to avoid razor-edged death as a positive sign, she looked up hopefully as Cyborg left the room, looking strangely tired for the time of day.

"Friend Cyborg, please, how went your conversation with 'the Beast'?"

"Not now, Star. Let's just say that li'l son-of-a-monkey gave me a lot to think about. Later."

As Starfire watched Cyborg's retreating form, she wondered if that had been a good or bad thing.

"Okay, Star, we'll get you to talk to him tomorrow. Okay?...Star?"

Star snapped out of her contemplations to listen to her leader.

"Tomorrow ..ummm…very well, I believe that will be acceptable." Starfire was unable to conceal the worry in her tone, and she found herself slowly edging away from an emergent Beast Boy.


	5. Midnight Musings

**Chapter 5: Midnight Musings.**

Starfire couldn't sleep. Rolling onto her side, she read the clock on her bedside table. 3:45. Sitting up, she swung her feet off her pillow and exited her room.

She wandered through the hallway, in search of some comfort, that would allow her to sleep that night. As she passed Robin's room, she briefly considered waking him, so she could talk with him and ease her mind, but decided that she could not. Her leader got little enough sleep as it was, and it would be selfish of her to wake him at this hour. As she made her way to the common room, she could not help but all but running past the room of a certain changeling.

As she entered the common room, she saw, to her surprise, that she was not alone. Cyborg was there, elbows on knees, chin in hands, and sitting on the sofa. With a shock, she realised that this was the exact same posture he had occupied when she had wished him goodnight, over six hours ago.

"What is it that keeps you awake, friend?" Starfire was worried. She hadn't seen Cyborg this pensive since he'd made that hologram ring.

Cyborg didn't answer for a long time. Just as Starfire was about to leave, he spoke up. "Star, do you know why BB doesn't eat meat?"

"Because he is a vegetarian?" Starfire wasn't sure where this could lead, but she was glad that Cyborg was at least _talking_ now.

"Had you ever thought about that? I mean, just look at his teeth. Definitely _not_ carrot-eating teeth. And he eats meat-flavoured tofu, as well."

Starfire had to admit it seemed a bit unusual. "Well, I had never thought about it before."

"Well, I asked him today, in the interview, why he always ate meat flavoured tofu, and do you know what he said? He asked me if I'd ever considered that he _likes_ the taste of meat."

"But…then why is he a vegetarian? If he likes meat, why does he eat meat substitute?"

Cyborg continued to stare ahead at nothing. "He said the Beast likes meat."

"Oh…"

"The Beast said a lot of things to me. He said I was weak, I was lazy. A part of _Beast Boy_ said I was lazy. He said I need to be put in my place."

Starfire whimpered. Cyborg continued, the words cascading off him like water.

"He thinks I don't fight well enough in battles, that I'm not strong enough. Since he views this team as his 'pack', he wants us so step up a notch, rise to his level."

Cyborg turned to look at her for the first time in the conversation. Starfire thought she could see tears welling up behind his eye. "How did I miss all this, Star? How come I know so little about someone who's supposed to be my best friend?"

"There is much that Beast Boy keeps hidden. He does not speak of his time with the Doom Patrol, for instance." Not particularly encouraging, but she was doing the best she could.

"Yeah, but _why_? What makes him wanna keep stuff like this from us?"

"Perhaps he feels it is a burden he wishes to bear alone."

"Maybe. But still, what could he be hiding like that?"

"What do you wish to know about him?"

"I dunno. What his life was like before the Titans would be a good start."

"Have you ever asked him?"

"…Well…no."

"Then you should not be surprised that you do not know. What does he know of your past?"

"…I don't think it's interested him. I know Robin knows all about me, knows all about all of us. He snooped around a lot on all of us, after the whole Terra thing."

"Then maybe you should ask for permission to see it."

Cyborg brightened up. "Maybe I should. It'd be a starting point, at least." Cyborg frowned. "What did you say you were up for, anyway?"

Starfire seemed to retract into herself, and Cyborg began to regret asking.

"…I am afraid." This admission seemed almost more than Starfire could take.

"Of the Beast?" Starfire nodded in reply. Cyborg put a companionable arm around her shoulder. "Don't be."

"But I saw him bare his fangs at you when you talked to him, and Beast Boy said he wishes harm upon us, and the last time we fought him we were not victorious, and-"

"Star, remember what BB said. It's still him in there. You just need to keep calm, and show no aggression around him. Remember, he's an animal, so if you're aggressive, he'll be aggressive back." Starfire whimpered at this, and Cyborg hurried along with his explanation. "But all you gotta do is keep calm, and show him you're not gonna fight him. If you do that, we can work through this." This appeared to work, and Starfire calmed down considerably. "Good. You think you can sleep now?"

"Yes, thank you." Starfire smiled slightly.

"Then I suggest you do. You've got a tiring day ahead, trust me."


	6. Mate?

**Chapter 6: Mate?**

"Okay, let's get this thing rolling." Robin's voice sounded over the intercom in the corner of the interview room. Beast Boy stood at one end, ready to talk to Starfire. Taking a deep breath, Beast Boy gave himself over to the primal voice in his head, and the change began.

He suppressed a scream as he felt his bones stretch and his ligaments tear and his muscles inflate like balloons. It always hurt like this when he changed, but the shift into the Beast was so much slower than his other changes. However, he forced himself to hold his tongue. He had smelled Starfire's fear when she had walked into the Common Room at breakfast, and the sound of him screaming in unimaginable agony wouldn't help her mental state much. After a few eternal moments, the fire died, and the Beast emerged.

However, this time, something had changed. Normally, his conscious mind would be switched off when the Beast was out, and he would have to work out what happened later, from comments the Beast would make, or sometimes through particularly vivid dreams. Now, however, he was still conscious, but nothing but a passenger in his own mind. Still, it was an interesting development. His ears twitched as Starfire entered, accompanied by Raven.

Traitor. Weak.

The Beast padded towards the Tameranean, his lips curled back, growling low in his throat. Starfire stared back, her face carefully blank.

"Greetings."

The Beast shook his head. What was the Pack-Runner saying? Her body language was worrying, her muscles tensed. Fight or flight. But she had elected neither. Odd.

_She wants to talk._

The Beast's ears twitched. It was her again. The Mate, talking in her No-Sounds-No-Pictures-No-Scent way. It was strange, but calming.

**Mate? ...Oh.**

"What do you wish to say to me?"

_Why are you angry with her?_

Why was he angry? The Beast snorted. It was obvious; she was weak; she always gave the pack away to the prey, and she had sided with the usurper.

"Well, apparently, he thinks you don't pull your weight on the team. No surprises, he said that to Cyborg too. He also -I think- takes exception to your habit of alerting criminals to your presence before you hit them."

"But is seems dishonourable to attack them while they have no chance to defend themselves."

Starfire waited as Raven explained this to the Beast, and took the time to assess her situation. Well, she hadn't been shredded yet, so she could take that as a good sign, she presumed.

Raven looked back at Starfire. "I think the problem here is different codes of combat. _You _want a fair fight, with the enemy given a chance to defend themselves. The Beast, however, seems to follow the idea that the point of combat is to defeat the other guy before they can defeat you, by any means necessary." Raven didn't say it, but this seemed to make more sense than Starfire's _modus operandi_, which consisted of tapping the opponent on the shoulder before hitting them from behind.

The Beast observed the debate on the rules of engagement dispassionately. The Mate was making sounds, and the Pack-Runner was twittering, in her manner which the Beast thought reminded him of birds. The sounds made no sense to him, but he could smell the uncertainty radiating from the Pack-Runner. The Mate suddenly pulled out a book, and the Beast's eyes narrowed as he observed the shapes on the front. They looked like _"The Queensbury Rules for the Sport of Boxing"_. This made no sense to him, but the shapes were not important to him. He looked, confused, as the Mate pointed at the strange shapes, and he could hear the irritation growing in her call. Involuntarily, he flattened his ears against the side of his head and ducked.

"…and _that_ is why so many people got stabbed in the 1860s."

"Because they read the rules this 'John Chambers' wrote and fought people that had not read them?"

"Exactly. The rules are fine if both parties follow them, but are a liability if they don't."

"So, you are saying that I should only be merciful to enemies if they act the same way to us?"

"Exactly." Raven breathed a sigh of relief. Well _that _only took about half an hour. Now for the _other_ outstanding issues. You also need to accept that he wants you to work harder in battle. You don't need to use lethal force or anything like that, but you need to be stronger."

"I believe that will be possible, Raven." Starfire was becoming calmer as the conversation went on, and she felt that this interview idea may not have been such a bad idea after all.

_She accepts your commands for battle._ Raven spoke directly to the Beast's mind, wary of how she worded her message; the Beast needed to see he was in control, or he would seek to _prove_ his dominance, not something she wanted under any circumstances. Broken bones took a lot out of her to heal. Seeing the smug look on the Beast's face, she turned to Starfire. This was going to be hard.

"Alright, Star, only one thing left to do. You need to prove your submission to the Beast."

"What would that entail?" Starfire's voice was full of concern.

"You have to kneel."

"Why? Can I not simply offer my apologies?"

"The Beast doesn't understand English, Star. You need to show through body language that you're in charge."

"…Very well." Starfire slowly knelt down in front of the Beast, shaking slightly as he brought his head level with hers. She began to look up, but was stopped by a thought that was not her own.

_Keep your head down. Eye contact is as good as issuing a challenge for leadership._

Needless to say, Starfire suddenly found the steel floor unaccountably fascinating. After a few more uncomfortable moments of the Beast's heavy breathing in her ear, he gave a sharp huff, stepped back, and shifted into Beast Boy, who looked drained and shaken by the experience.

Raven opened her mouth, but Beast Boy cut her off. "I know how that one went, Rae. I was awake to see it."

Raven was surprised, but hid it well. "You were in control?"

"No, but it was like _I_ was the voice in the Beast's head, rather than the other way around."

"Hmm, in that case, our plan for Robin might just be viable."

Starfire noticed that at the mention of this plan, Beast Boy paled. "I don't see how there's any other way. Doesn't mean I like it, though."

They were interrupted by a squawk of static form the intercom, and Robin's voice sounding uncharacteristically nervous.

"What's your plan for my interview?"

"An interview isn't going to cut it, Robin. You're the leader, and if you wish to keep this position, you need to prove to the Beast that you're capable."

This worried Robin a whole lot more than he allowed his voice to show. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

Beast Boy interjected. "You need to fight him, Robin, and you need to win."

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AN: Writing from the Beast's POV is _hard_.


	7. Leadership Issues

**Chapter 7: Leadership Issues.**

"No! I will _not_ allow this!" Starfire paced back and forth in front of Robin, who fancied he could nearly see flames spurting from her maw.

"Now Robin, remember what Beast Boy told you." Raven's calm voice anchored Robin, made him feel like he might not have accidentally slipped into Bizzaro World after all.

Robin nodded. "He's faster than he looks, and a _lot_ stronger too, especially in his arms. However, if he rears back onto his hind legs, his centre of gravity is unstable, and his hind legs are too weak for him to run on."

"And?"

"He learns quickly, too, so I can't try the same trick twice." Robin knew this already. The first time the Titans- or three fifths of them- had fought the Beast, they had eventually subdued him. However, the second time around, the Beast was ready for them, and dispatched them within seconds. "However, since his senses are so strong, if I overload them, he could be distracted for a few seconds." As he said this, his gloved hands drifted over a row of dull grey balls on his utility belt. They looked identical to his smoke pellets, but since smoke hardly phased a creature with night vision, hearing that ranged from the ultra to the infrasonic, and a sense of smell that could pick out what cologne Robin had put on last week, he and Cyborg had cooked up some…specialised…ones.

"Anything else? What was the last thing Beast Boy said?"

Robin frowned, clearly disliking this last piece of advice. "No mercy. The Beast doesn't understand the concept, and will take the opportunity to give me some new scars."

Raven nodded. "You have the advantage that the Beast probably isn't going to try to _kill_ you. After all, he needs a pack to lead, and we're a small enough group as it is." Raven didn't mention that Robin wasn't supposed to try to kill Beast Boy, either.

"And you two will be on hand in case things get…_dangerous_."

"Things will be dangerous from the instant you enter that room! If we are to pursue this foolhardy course of action, we must have Cyborg on hand! Where is he?"

"Cyborg's gonna be…busy." Robin recalled the private conversation he'd had with Cyborg a few minutes ago.

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"_Yo, Robin."_

"_Cyborg, I'm a little preoccupied at the moment."_

"_This won't take long. I need your permission for something."_

"_What?"_

"…_I want to see BBs personal file. I know you wrote one."_

"_Why do you want to see that?"_

"_Well…when I talked to him it seemed obvious that there was a lot I didn't know about him, and I thought if I looked on the file-"_

"_Why don't you just ask him?"_

"_He's got a lot on his plate at the moment."_

"_That's true. Well…alright, on the condition that anything you see remains _completely _confidential."_

"_Of course."_

"_Well then, I guess so, but only because I know if I didn't give you permission you'd just hack in anyway."_

"_You know it."_

"…_Oh, and Cyborg?"_

"_Yeah man?"_

"_I can't guarantee you'll like what you find."_

_­_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Besides, I know that you two are more than capable of keeping me safe." Robin finished with more confidence than he felt.

"And you are certain that there is no viable alternative?" Starfire sounded almost pleading.

"Sorry, Star, this is the only way."

Starfire looked conflicted for a long while. "…Very well, then."

Robin nodded, and turned towards the door.

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Beast Boy stood alone in the gym, preparing himself for the ordeal to come. In truth, he would be doing very little, only stepping in if it looked like the Beast was going to kill Robin. If Robin did not win fairly- at least, by the Beast's definition of 'fair'- then the Beast would not accept the outcome. He felt his heart rate spike as his leader walked through the double doors. The smell of fear was palpable on his brow, and the Beast revelled in it.

"So, what do I have to do?" To his credit, none of the fear was evident in his voice.

"To challenge the Beast, you need to maintain eye contact." Beast Boy marvelled at the way Raven was able to maintain a monotone even now.

"Alright then, let's get on with this." _Before I lose my nerve completely_, Robin finished in the privacy of his head.

_We'll be on hand, just in case anything goes wrong. You need to stay calm._

Well, relative privacy, at least. Robin's attention was drawn back into reality by a strange and highly unpleasant sound, one composed of squelches and cracks and what sounded like stretching rubber which melded into a prickling sound which Robin presumed was the sound of hair growing. His head jolted around and his eyes locked with those of the Beast. Remembering what he had been told, he stared at the Beast, bo staff in hand, stance defiant. In response, the Beast raised its hackles and growled, deep in its throat. Robin took one cautious step to the left. The Beast padded right, its eyes never leaving its erstwhile leader. The two circled, spiralling closer together until, as if by some prearranged signal, the Beast let out a deep bellow and Robin hurled a set of explosive dicks as they charged towards each other, Robin vaulting high into the air.

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Cyborg heard the booming roar. He fancied he could feel the vibrations from the cry through the floor. Nonetheless, he forced himself to continue, deleting any unbidden images of Robin laminating the gym floor from his brain. This was important. As he navigated the Tower data files, inputting the required passcodes, he wondered how in the name of all that was holy Beast Boy had ever managed to hack his way into Raven's profile. Maybe he was about to find out. He finally found the relevant page, and called it up. As he scanned the file, downloading it into his brain for detailed analysis later, he couldn't hold in an exclamation of shock.

"Sweet Monkey Jesus…"


	8. Green Behemoths and Hysterical Robots

**Chapter 8: Green Behemoths and Hysterical Robots**

Robin swung his staff down onto the head of the Beast, only for a huge paw to swat his weapon aside, another crashing to meet Robin as he continued to fall. Robin tumbled across the mat, a swift one hand spring regaining his balance. He eyed his opponent, and swiftly threw one of his customised pellets. Immediately, the Beast clutched his pointed ears and let out a pained call, evidently distressed by the ultrasonic frequencies. Robin made full use of this distraction, and hurled several explosive discs at the behemoth. As the smoke cleared, Robin made the mistake of stopping to inspect the damage he had inflicted. Ruffled fur. Ah crap.

The Beast snorted his derision towards the challenger. _This_ Pack-Runner would lead? He was barely better than Prey-That-Fights. The Beast grinned. He would show this pretender what it _meant_ to be Alpha. Feinting with his left, he led the challenger on, while shifting his weight to his right side. When the traitor deflected his weak blow, he swung with his right paw, knocking the usurper into a wall. So much for _him_. The Beast was about to announce his victory, when he saw his opponent rise from the ground and prepare to fight again. Maybe he wouldn't be so easy to defeat after all.

The Pack-Runner curled his right arm back, and the Beast could see that he was about to throw another of his Fire-Rocks. The Beast slowly backed up against the wall until his hind legs pressed up against the vertical surface. Bunching his muscles, the Beast pushes off from the wall, his powerful muscles sending him flying towards his foe.

Robin cursed as he saw the mass of green hurtling towards him, and quickly changed his stance to deal with this threat. As the monster sped towards him, Robin rolled to his left, pulling out his staff as he did so. However, he had underestimated the reaction times of the Beast, who twisted in midair and left three deep gashes in Robin's side, his claws ripping through the Titanium weave of his suit like it was paper. Stifling a cry, he pulled out another sonic pellet and threw it directly at the creature's head.

The Beast smelled the copper tang in the air, and felt the warm liquid on his paw, but before he could press the advantage, the Pack-Runner-That-Would-Be-Alpha let out his high, screeching call that burned his ears. Distracted, the Beast had no time to react as his enemy brought a long grey branch down on his head again and again and again, knocking one of his incisors loose and sending the Beast tumbling to the ground.

Robin leant heavily on his staff, gasping in great lungfuls of air as he watched the great mound of fur that was his berserk teammate. He stifled a groan of disappointment as the Beast rose once again. However, this time something had changed. Instead of leaping in to press the advantage, the Beast looked wary, unsure of itself. Taking this as a good sign, he knew what had to be done. Slowly, he removed his mask and stared the Beast in the eyes. After what seemed like an eternity of ignoring the watering in his eyes, the unyielding urge to blink, and the growing dread that he had made a mistake and was about to be shredded, the Beast flinched and bowed its head, averting his gaze. That moment was all that was needed, and Beast Boy took control of his body once more.

"Dude…you did it…" Beast Boy grinned at his leader, both wavering slightly as they tried to stay on their feet. It was Beast Boy that collapsed first, unconscious before he hit the ground. Immediately Raven was by his side, checking him for injury.

"Is he okay?" Robin asked, concerned that he might have inflicted some permanent damage.

"Yeah, he's just exhausted. I'll help him to his room; he'll probably be asleep for a while."

"Sounds good to me." Robin winced as he stretched, exposing the slashes in his side. "I'd better stop by the Med Bay and then sleep for a week." Starfire immediately flew to his side, supporting him as he walked slowly out of the room.

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Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Can I come in?"

To Cyborg's surprise, it was Raven that opened the door. "What?"

Shaking his head slightly, Cyborg gathered his thoughts. "Can I speak to BB?"

"He's sleeping."

"It's kinda important-"

"I said, he's sleeping." Raven enunciated as clearly as she could through gritted teeth. "Whatever it is, it can wait."

"Well, when he wakes up, can you tell him I want to speak to him?"

"Alright."

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Starfire wandered listlessly through the Tower, unsure what to do with herself. Robin was asleep in the Med Bay after bandaging himself up. Beat Boy was asleep. Raven was tending to Beast Boy. And Cyborg…

As Starfire passed the mechanical teen's room, she heard him mutter indistinctly to himself. Intrigued, she opened his door to find him poring over an A3 sheet of paper, tacked to his wall.

"Friend, that is a map of Earth, is it not? You are…planning a holiday?" Starfire gazed, bemused, at the map, with several thumbtacks sticking into it, seemingly at random.

Cyborg started at the sudden derailing of his train of thought, but grabbed Starfire's hand and pulled her into the room. On the desk below the map there was a sheet of paper, on which a timeline had been drawn in Cyborg's neat, controlled handwriting.

"Look at this Star." Cyborg pointed at the first tack, stuck in what looked like Washington D.C. "BB was born here. At two years old, his parents take him here." His index finger moved to a second tack, in Africa. "Here, they study animals. At age four, he's bitten by a green monkey, and infected with a rare disease known as Sakutia. To save his life, his parents give him an experimental treatment that saves his life, but gives him his powers and…unique…complexion." Starfire nodded, to show that she followed. "At age seven, his parents are killed, in undisclosed circumstances. Six months later, his guardian from the village they were staying in is killed by two thieves, who kidnap Beast Boy and use him as an accomplice in their crimes. They take him back _here._" Cyborg's index finger jabbed a third thumbtack, this time on New York City. Somehow, he escapes after a year, and is found by the Social Services. They place him in the care of one Nicholas Galtry, an accountant. He tries to kill Beast Boy, under the guise of the supervillain Arsenal. However, BB is rescued by the Doom Patrol, who adopt him and take him in. They are based _here_." Here Cyborg pointed to a tack on Prague. "Soon after BBs thirteenth birthday, he quits the Doom Patrol, for reasons unknown, and somehow makes his way _here_." At this, Cyborg pointed at Jump City, California.

"Yes, but I am afraid I do not see your point."

"My point? My _point_? How the hell can someone like _Beast Boy_ have a past like this? I mean, his character just doesn't fit at all!" Cyborg seemed almost hysterical as he ended his tirade.

Starfire was about to answer when Cyborg's door slid open, to reveal the object of their discussion.

"Hey Cy, Rae said you wanted to see me…" Beast Boy's voice trailed off as he noticed the map on the wall, as well as the positions of the various pins,and his eyes narrowed. "what the hell is this?"


	9. Instinctual Issues

**Chapter 9: Instinctual Issues**

Starfire was scared. After five and a half years, she felt she knew her friends well. She had felt she knew them well enough to know just what they would do in response to practically _anything_. She also knew what they _wouldn't _do. Robin would never be slothful, or slipshod. Raven would never burst into peals of uncontrolled laughter. Cyborg would never rush into some course of action without considering the consequences. And Beast Boy never, _ever_, got angry. The sight of the young changeling screaming in rage was utterly alien to her. She was unable to picture him in the grips of pure, visceral fury. And that was precisely why the scene before her eyes terrified her beyond all reason.

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Beast Boy tentatively knocked on the door to Raven's room. When she opened it for him after a few moments, he took a breath to calm himself.

"Raven? Can I talk to you for a second?"

Raven was surprised to hear that tone from him. She could only remember him sounding like that for about three weeks, when they had all first met. The others had sounded like that for up to a year. Longer in Robin's case. It was a tone that was walking on eggshells. It very clearly said 'Don't kill me for talking to you, please'.

"Sure, Beast Boy." After an uncomfortable moment she added. "What's wrong?"

"I…kinda got mad."

Raven frowned. That was _it_? Then she thought for a second. This was _Beast Boy_. Getting mad was not his thing.

"What happened?"

"Well, you know you said Cyborg wanted to talk to me? It turned out that he'd done some snooping into my personal file."

Raven's frown gained a few furrows. "He hacked into Titans Mainframe?"

"No. He said Robin gave him permission."

"What did he look at?"

"My personal history."

Raven paused for a moment, and remembered who she was talking to just in time for her to store her righteous fury away for later. Yelling at Beast Boy would be counterproductive. "…Why?" She eventually choked out.

"He thought he could get a handle on this whole situation that way."

Raven was _not_ happy. Cyborg had broken the cardinal rule: don't ask about personal histories; if people want you to know, they'll tell you. It was one of the foundations of superhero interpersonal relations, along with 'No mocking of each others costumes, even if they are spandex'.

"Why didn't he ask you?" That, at least, would have been better than going behind his back.

"He thought he would spare me the trouble." Beast Boy sounded uncharacteristically bitter.

"So what did you do?"

"I flipped. I yelled, screamed things at him that _really_ don't bear repeating, and I think I gouged a few claw marks into his recharge table."

"You let him off easy."

"Not for me. I mean, I can kinda see where he's coming from, although he _really_ should have asked, and now I'm pissed at Robin for letting him in the first place, but I never would have normally gotten this angry. But, with all the _kinyeshi_ that's been going on, could it have something to do with that?"

"'Kinyeshi'?" Raven raised her eyebrow.

Beast Boy looked unaccountably uncomfortable. "I'll explain some other time."

"I'll hold you to that. Anyway, this isn't _entirely_ unexpected." _ Although I really should have told you before hand_, Raven refrained from adding. "Quite simply, you are starting to affect the Beast more, right?" Beast Boy nodded. "Well, it's a two way door." Raven waited for comprehension to dawn. It did, eventually.

"So the Beast's gonna affect my behaviour more?"

"Yes. Your instincts are going to become stronger now." Raven noted the way he froze up at this, and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Is that a problem?"

"Kinda."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Err…there's no easy way to say this."

"Try just saying it."

"Okay. I get the instinct to Mark."

Raven looked blank. Then, as she worked out exactly what he meant, she looked mortified. "Oh."

"Will this be a problem?"

Raven thought for a moment. "The only thing I can suggest is _not_…complying with this instinct and telling me if it becomes a problem. Any other 'difficult' ones?"

Beast Boy nodded. "Yep. Hibernation and migration."_ And a third seasonal one, which I am _not_ going to mention. This conversation is embarrassing enough already._

Raven tried not to wonder how you could hibernate _and_ migrate. "I'm sure no one will begrudge you sleeping later than usual in winter" –Beast Boy brightened up considerably at this- "and as for migration, well, I'm sure you'll be first to volunteer for the long patrols." Raven stifled a smirk at the speedy collapse of Beast Boy's visage. "And what was the third thing, the one you weren't going to mention?"

Raven experienced feelings of mild trepidation when she said that. It wasn't as if she had _meant_ to read his thoughts, but she had just come down from meditation, and her powers were overperforming. Besides, it had been the mental equivalent of a yell. Her feelings of worry grew when he started blushing like mad, and when he eventually answered "Mating Season", Raven decided that this conversation was going to stop _now_.

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After pacing around Titans Tower for a few minutes, Raven decided that the situation was far worse than Beast Boy had made it sound. Starfire had holed up in her room, apparently in mortal dread of something. She wouldn't say what, but Raven felt she could hazard a guess. And as for Cyborg…

Cyborg had gone into a practical shutdown, locking down all sensory perception. Why he felt this would resolve the situation, Raven couldn't guess. Nevertheless, with Beast Boy sleeping again (doctor's orders…) there was only one person she could turn to to sort out this mess, and it sure as hell wasn't herself.

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"Robin. Robin, wake up. We've got problems."

That last comment jerked the Boy Wonder from his stupour. "Is it Beast Boy?" No matter how many times he was told- and told himself- that fighting Beast Boy was the only solution, he couldn't help feeling guilty for the injuries he had casused.

"Yes, but not like you'd think. It seems Cyborg went snooping where he didn't belong. Beast Boy found out about this and got angry. Now Starfire's hiding in her room, and Cyborg's gone into Standby. Beast Boy still needs to sleep, and I need your help to get Starfire to leave her room."

Robin took a few minutes to process this information. "What about the Beast? Is there anything I should know?"

"Yes, but you should hear it from Beast Boy rather than me. Now come on, we have a team to save."


	10. Kicked Puppy Syndrome

**Chapter 10: Kicked Puppy Syndrome**

Robin strode down the corridor, mind ablaze, Raven floating in an effort to keep up. He _knew_ he shouldn't have let Cyborg look at those files. It could only have caused trouble. But with his mind preoccupied with the distinct possibility that he was going to die in a few minutes, he had absent-mindedly complied with his friend's request without thinking. Now he was going to have to fix the mess he'd made. Reaching Starfire's room, he hesitantly announced his prescence.

"…Starfire? Can I talk to you?"

A muffled squeak was his only response.

"Starfire?"

This garnered nothing.

"Starfire, if you don't talk to me I'm opening this door." Raven looked disapproving- that was the line she had taken earlier, with no success. Robin took no notice, however, as she was behind him.

That elicited a response, at last. "Please, no! Do not come in!"

"Why not, Star?"

After a few moments of silence, Robin moved his hand towards the control panel, and prepared to enter the emergency override, but was stopped by the alien's eventual response.

"…I am afraid."

Well, that was a start, at least. "What of?"

"Beast Boy."

Robin frowned. "But, you resolved your issues with the Beast. You should be-"

"You misunderstand me, Robin. It is not the Beast I fear, but the Boy." Starfire's voice was hollow, devoid of the laughter Robin had grown accustomed to. It was almost more than he could bear to hear her like that. Agitated, he retreated around the corner, Raven following, until they were out of earshot.

"Why is she afraid of Beast Boy?"

"I think she was there when he got angry."

Robin thought about this. "But that shouldn't have made her react _this_ badly. There has to be more."

"Well, you're doing better than I did when I tried to talk to her. What should we do?"

"You stay with Beast Boy, and if he wakes up, try to get more specifics out of him as to what happened. I'll work on Starfire."

Raven nodded and drifted down the corridor.

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Starfire sat huddled in the corner of her room, under a blanket. Maybe if she was quiet enough, then she would be forgotten. Unfortunately, the silence only amplified her thoughts.

_You shouldn't have given Cyborg that idea._

I know.

_You wouldn't like it if people started looking into _your_ past, would you?_

No. Starfire shuddered as she remembered the Citadel and the Psions. She certainly wanted no reminders of what she had been through, or of what she had had to do to survive…

_So why did you suggest it?_

I thought I could help! I was tired and Cyborg was so unhappy! I made a mistake!

Starfire was spared any further mental anguish when a knock announced Robin's return. Slowly, reluctantly, she walked over to the door and prepared to face admonishment.

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"Bwahhh?" Beast Boy stirred to find Raven looking down on him. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Beast Boy noticed her composed tone, which was contradicted by her worried odour.

"What's up?"

"Starfire's freaked out."

"What? Why?" Beast Boy sat up fast enough to give himself whiplash.

"You scared her."

"Oh." Beast Boy couldn't help but feel a little guilty at that. He hated it when Starfire was unhappy. It was like kicking a puppy.

"Now she's sitting in her room, convinced you're gonna smash down her door and eat her." Raven wasn't accusing, just stating the facts. In spite of this, her words increased Beast Boy's feelings of guilt tenfold.

"Well, I'm not gonna."

"_I _know that, _you _know that, but Starfire _doesn't_ know that."

"_Tomba_." Beast Boy spat out.

"Will you stop doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Saying things I don't understand."

"Starfire does."

"So it's some other language?"

"Yep."

"Which-"

"Swahili?"

"_Swahili?_" Raven's eyebrows threatened to disappear into her hairline, quite a feat given her haircut.

"Yep?"

"How do you know Swahili?"

Beast Boy sighed. "Well, since everyone else on the team knows, I guess it'd be a bit unfair to keep you in the dark." Beast Boy said ruefully. "Settle in, this story's a long one."

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Robin felt unimaginable relief when Starfire opened her door, but felt his heart wrench when he saw her state. She looked like she was ready to fall apart. Her lower lip was trembling, her left arm clasped her right forearm- something she only did when she was nervous, or sad, and she was hunched over, almost as if she was trying to hide behind herself.

"Starfire…" He could barely stand it when she winced as he spoke, and when she shied away when he reached for her arm he felt as though he would die. "What's wrong?"

Starfire's reaction was sudden. She flung herself forwards, her arms draping around Robin's neck and she sobbed into his chest. Robin was unsure what to do in this situation, so he settled for the traditional 'pat pat, there there' routine.

"I have done our friend a great wrong." Starfire eventually choked out.

"What? It was Cyborg who-"

"But it was I who gave Cyborg the idea! I should have respected the privacy of Beast Boy, and now that he knows of Cyborg's 'snooping' he will be angry with me too!" Starfire's hysteria was muffled in the nape of Robin's neck, and she crushed Robin into her, trying to wring some comfort from the boy. Robin put up with this without complaint- she needed the proximity or she would close up again. Besides, it wasn't _all_ bad.

"Starfire, I-" Robin stopped to plan out what he was going to say. It was vital that he said _everything_ right. He had already screwed up enough today. "What do you say we go to the kitchen and get something to drink? We can help each other think about what to do?"

Starfire stopped crying, and frowned. "You require help?"

Robin smiled ruefully. "Beast Boy's probably going to be just as angry at me. After all, I gave Cy permission."

Starfire nodded. "Very well. Let us prepare some refreshment while we wait for Beast Boy to be angry with us."

Robin smiled a little at this. "Alright then. Let's go."


	11. Mending the Rifts

**Chapter 11:**** Mending the Rifts**

"…but Mento was like 'You disobeyed an order' and was angry, even though I'd basically saved the world by destroying the machine and saving the team. After that, we got in a _huge_ argument, and that night I ran away. I had no idea where to go, but I had the idea to go to Hollywood, 'cause Rita had told me about the place from her acting days. I tell ya, the trip to the USA gave me a whole new respect for albatrosses." Beast Boy smiled at that. "I guess I was lucky I didn't run in to any storms on the way over. Anyway, when I got to America, I had no money, no contacts, nothing."

"So how did you get here?" Raven asked, feeling slightly overwhelmed by Beast Boy's story.

"Well, I snuck into places as a rat or something and stole food, and flew west. I slept in trees as a squirrel or something. I was never gonna stay in Jump, just get directions. But then I saw this meteor thing crash into the centre of town. I went to have a look and the rest is history."

Raven blinked slowly. Over the last half an hour she had learned more about Beast Boy than she had in the last five years, and the thought worried her. How in Trigon's name had Beast Boy turned out like he had?

"Rae?"

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? 'Cause you've been sitting there blinking for the last five minutes."

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. Just…"

"What?"

"It's a little overwhelming."

"Well, all superheroes have tragic pasts. Kinda comes with the territory. You should know all about that."

Raven smirked at that. That was true enough. "But look how I turned out."

Beast Boy looked confused. "Smart, caring and generally awesome?"

It was Raven's turn to look puzzled. "That's what you think about me?" _Wow_.

"Well, yeah." Beast Boy stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"It's just, I was thinking more along the lines of uncaring, jaded, cruel and sarcastic."

Beast Boy shook his head and turned to her. "Rae, if you were really that bad, would you have become a superhero? I mean, that's like the ultimate charity work. Yeah, you're sarcastic, but that's just your sense of humour. Cruel? Not really. I mean, if you were really cruel you'd follow through on your threats to send me to a dimension where the bean curd eats you. And as for jaded, you're not even _remotely_ green."

Raven tried to articulate her thoughts. "It's just that…" her hand found its way to Beast Boy's shoulder. "thanks."

"For what?"

"For everything."

Beast Boy smiled. "No worries. Now let's go see Starfire."

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Starfire sat on one of the tall stools at the kitchen, watching Robin make coffee.

"...Robin?"

"Yeah?" Robin didn't turn his head, engrossed as he was in spooning the correct amount of granules into the percolator.

"Do you think that we shall return to normal soon?"

"I hope so. Why?"

"This feels like the _rekmas_."

"The what?" Robin turned to look at her.

"Do you not remember? I explained the concept one _blorthog_. It is when close friends begin to drift apart."

Robin nodded in remembrance. "I remember. But we've been through troubles before. Remember when Cyborg and I had an argument, and he quit? He came back soon enough. We're all still on the same team this time."

Starfire smiled. "Which of the two times are you referring to?"

Robin was about to reply when he door slid open, revealing two vertically challenged heroes.

Starfire squeaked and dived behind the imagined safety of Robin's cloak. Robin resisted the urge to let her hide, and stepped aside. She _needed_ to do this.

"Starfire?" Beast Boy sounded far from angry. Far more like worried, and a little guilty.

Starfire's only response was a small whimper, and she flinched under Beast Boy's gaze.

"Starfire, I'm really sorry for flipping out like that, and I'm sorry if it scared you. It's just that it was kinda rude of him not to ask, and-"

Starfire interrupted. "No! You do not understand! It was I who gave Cyborg the idea in the first place!" She shook Beast Boy by the shoulders frantically, before realising what she was doing and let go with a cringe.

Beast Boy processed this information. Starfire had told Cyborg to look into his past. That was unexpected. However, getting angry all over again would be more than counterproductive- it could break the Titans apart. So, Beast Boy swallowed his unfamiliar feelings, and turned to Starfire.

"It's alright. I forgive you." Starfire looked at him like he had grown an extra head. "Just, you know, ask next time, okay?" Beast Boy said with a grin. Starfire nodded slowly and looked up to see Beast Boy standing with his arms splayed and a sheepish grin on his face. "Hug?"

Starfire complied, careful not to break any ribs. After a few seconds, they broke apart, Beast Boy noticing Raven nodding in approval, and Robin doing the same, although he did look a little annoyed. The sight of him reminded Beast Boy of the conversation Raven and he had shared earlier.

"Dude, can I talk to you for a second?"

Robin nodded slowly, and the two of them walked over to the couch and sat down.

"First up, dude, you got to learn about privacy, man."

"Beast Boy, I-"

"I know, I know, dude. Just remember that next time, okay?"

Robin smiled. "Deal. Anything else."

"Yep. This whole incident mean's I'm gonna be changing."

Robin frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm gonna have to listen to my instincts more."

"Is this going to hinder your job?" Robin asked, wondering where this was going.

"Not too much. It just means that I'm gonna sleep 'till midday all winter, stuff like that."

Robin nodded. "We can deal with that. Is this thing with the Beast gonna bite me in the ass?"

Beast Boy smiled. "Only if you screw up big time."

"What do you mean? Is the Beast jealous?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "No, dude, jealousy is a human thing. The Beast has like four emotions; Angry, Happy, Sad, and Lust. That's it. You're Alpha now, it accepts that. But if you screw up bad, don't be too surprised if it starts gunning for leader again."

Robin nodded. "Alright. Do you think you can see Cyborg now? I hate to think what we'd do if a criminal attacked right now."

Beast Boy frowned at the thought. "I'll go see him now."


	12. An Anpolgy Interrupted

**Chapter 12: An Apology Interrupted.**

"Dude. Dude. Duude, can you hear me?" No answer. Time for desperate measures.

"Cy, Cy! Slade's attacking!"

Nada.

"Dude, Silkie threw up on the T-Car!"

Zip.

"Err…Robin's proposed to Star!"

Still nothing. Although, in retrospect, that one was hardly a surprise, unless you counted the shock of the Boy Wonder getting over himself.

"Okay, Cy, if you're just gonna sit there, you've left me no choice." Beast Boy cleared his throat, and then said in a sing-song voice:

"Cyborg? Ohh Cyyybooorg? Do you mind if I use your computer? Only I've got this brand-new copy of Mighty-Mega-Mendacious-Monkeys 3.0 that I want to try. Oh, don't worry, Cyborg, it's perfectly safe. At least, that's what the homeless guy I bought it off said." Grinning outwardly, but annoyed that it had come to this, Beast Boy pressed the button on the wall that revealed Cyborg's computer. As he reached towards the "Power" button, he found himself restrained by a large metal hand. Around his throat.

"_Knew_ that'd get you up."

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"You feeling better now, Star?" Raven felt her voice was as full of as much concern as she could safely manage.

Starfire nodded. "Yes, although I am surprised that Beast Boy forgave so easily."

Raven nodded. "Well, he's like that."

"Indeed. He is a wonderful friend and for that reason I am hopeful that this conflict can be resolved without delay. I do not like this argument which has engulfed us."

"Mmm. Well, with all the stress we've been under lately, I guess emotions are just finding any escape they can."

Starfire nodded, and then looked over to Robin. Noticing that he had left his coffee on the kitchen table, she was about to take it over when suddenly the room was bathed in red light, and a siren blared.

"Titans, trouble!"

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Cyborg sighed, and looked at his feet. At least, he tried to look at his feet, but Beast Boy had cunningly stepped directly in his line of sight.

"…B…"

"Dude, relax. I'm not gonna eat you." Beast Boy was actually _grinning_. What the hell?

Cyborg snorted.

"Dude, I'm not saying what you did was particularly cool, but, you know, I see what you were trying to do."

Cyborg perked up at this. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I can't stay mad at you. Who would I play video games with? And it's not like Raven would join me in playing pranks, and I can't really argue about meat with Star. I mean, half the stuff she eats is still _alive_." Cyborg chuckled at this. He had to. Beast Boy, however, wasn't done.

"So, I guess what I'm saying is, we're cool. Just as long as you do something for me."

Cyborg frowned. "What?" He was prepared to go a long way to repair his friendship, but there _were_ limits.

Beast Boy's face bore a grin that Trigon himself would be proud of. "You'll see." At this moment, the alarm sent its claxon call echoing through the Tower, and Robin's face materialised on Cyborg's arm.

"We've got trouble downtown."

"Need me to tag along?"

Robin thought about it for a moment. "No. We should be alright. If we need help, we'll call, okay?"

"Alright dude." As Cyborg turned to go, he heard the changeling calling him. "Yeah B?"

"Give whoever it is a kick for me, would ya?"

Cyborg grinned. "Alright little man."

"Thanks, I-Hey! I am not little!"

Cyborg's laughter could be heard all the way down to the garage.

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"Cyborg? I presume from your demeanour that your conversation with Beast Boy as a success?"

"Yup." Cyborg panicked as he realised that he now was effectively in the changeling's debt, but kept his eyes on the road. He cursed as he tried to see through the adverse conditions. Typical. His eye could see in X-Ray, infra-red, night vision, but it couldn't see through a little rain. Not that this _was_ a little rain.

Robin went over his gear in silence. In fact, since Cyborg's brief conversation, the entire trip had been in silence. It was unnerving, to say the least. The attacker had been an unknown, which worried Robin. An unknown meant that a new bad guy was in town, one they would be facing under-strength, never good news.

Raven sat staring out of the window at the raindrops. She couldn't fly in this weather- she could barely see, and her cloak would gain ten pounds. Suddenly, Cyborg braked hard, knocking her head into his seat.

"What was that for?" She hissed. In response, Cyborg simply pointed directly in front of him. "Oh."

In the street, a huge mechanical construct, easily twenty feet tall, was causing havoc. It stood on three long, thin legs, positioned in a triangle. They seemed to be made of some kind of cable, and were as thick as a man. The body itself looked like a kidney bean, or something, but spiky and metallic. From that body sprouted two arms, both made of that same cable material, but both ending in clawed hands. As the Titans piled out of the car, the monstrosity turned to look at them, and hurled a previously parked car towards them. Raven wasted no time in volleying it right back. Starfire flew straight at the head of the machine, and was swatted from the air for her trouble.

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_I am Bored. Bored bored bored. Wheeee…nope, still bored._

Beast Boy was trying to persuade his brain to entertain himself. Not something that came naturally to him.

"Six hundred bottles of beer on the wall, six hundred bottles of beer; take one down, pass it around, five hundred and ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall. Five hundred and ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, five hundred and ninety-nine bottles of beer…"

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Cyborg loosed another sonic blast at the foe, to no discernable effect. Raven and Starfire were having no luck either. Things were not going well for the Titans.

Robin was determined to change that.

"Starfire! Get me on top of that thing!" Starfire nodded, and grabbed Robin's outstretched hand. She span around and flung Robin, with Raven correcting the angle with her powers. Soon Robin was on top of the robot, looking desperately for some weak point. No dice.

Until one of the flailing arms lunged at Robin. With superhuman agility, the Boy Wonder avoided the strike, and the construct ended up impaling its own brain. Swaying like a drunken thing, its three legs buckled and crashed to the ground, Robin being picked up halfway to the ground by a relieved Starfire.

However, when the two landed, they were scared and confused by what they saw. Their two friends were lying on the ground, unmoving. With a strangled cry, they ran towards their teammates, but before they had taken two steps they dropped to the ground, felled by a thin bolt of light that had emanated from the roof of a building behind them.

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On the roof, a blue-coated figure nodded grimly, and, lifting his right arm, made a complicated series of hand gestures that sent his minions scurrying to do his bidding.

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**Special Contest: Tell me what you'd like to happen to Cyborg for his penance, and I might just use the best one.**


	13. The Hunt is on

**Chapter 13: The Hunt is on.**

Beast Boy tensed. Beads of sweat appeared on his brow, and his left foot began twitching insanely. One slip up now and it would all be over. As he moved into position, he felt…strange…like all his senses were going into overdrive. He ignored the fact that he was now conscious of the feeling of his uniform on his skin, and moved his hands slowly. His gloves were off, something he rarely did. Retractable claws were his secret shame. But this was more important than dignity, and the gloves restricted his dexterity. As he placed the objects in their place, his twitching foot slammed into the table, ruining everything.

Beast Boy sighed as he watched his house of cards collapse around him, and resumed channel surfing.

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Raven's world slowly rebooted, hearing coming first. Echoes of metal clinking on metal. Her sense of touch was next in line. Manacles on her wrists and ankles. Fuck. Then, she opened her eyes, and colour slowly bled into her world. Her attention was drawn by the man with his back to her, observing a bank of monitors. She looked left and right, and saw her friends in similar situations, although none of them seemed to be awake yet. In the spirit of inquiry, she tried using her powers, but drew a blank. Typical. If she crossed her eyes, she could just see a gadget stuck to her _chakra_. This was looking uncomfortably like that…_unpleasantness_…with the Jackal, some six months back. She looked back at her captor, taking note of his gold epaulettes.

"…_Immortus?_"

"Surprised to see me, my dear?" The dry voice hacked.

"…A little. How in Trigon's name did you escape the ice?" Incredulity overtook Rage, for the moment.

"I have my ways."

Raven had always secretly been a little unnerved by Immortus. Here was a man that was not just at Death's door, he was well into the hallway, had hung up his coat and was admiring the novelty clock and umbrella stand.

"What are you planning?"

Immortus laughed as heartily as he could, which wasn't much. It sounded like he had a hacking cough. "I think I've been around a little too long to fall for _that _one, my dear."

Damn. Time for a different track. "You'll never get away with this."

"'_You'll never get away with this.'_ How cliché. What's next? 'You're going to pay for this?' 'My friends will find you and stop you'? My dear, I've heard them all. And they've all been wrong. In any case, I should hope that the boy _does _find us. Revenge is sweet indeed."

_Azar_he was annoying.

"He'll find you. And frankly, you're _really_ going to wish he hadn't when he does." Raven proclaimed with more bravado than she felt.

_Beast Boy, you'd better not make me a liar._

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Beast Boy was getting worried. Surely the others should be done by now? Either that, or Robin would have called for backup. Frowning, he accessed the main computer, looking for the communicator signals. The computer placed them all together, in the industrial district. Well, it couldn't do any harm to check up on them, could it?

Setting the coordinates on his communicator, Beast Boy set off after his friends.

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A green falcon swooped among the chimneys, searching for signs of the Titans. The rains had cleared, leaving a fresh afternoon. Normally Beast Boy would have savoured the fresh smell that lingered after the rain, but he was too concerned to allow such frivolities. As he neared the area his communicator had specified, he saw the gutted carcass of a gigantic war machine.

_Well, there's _one _way of saying "I was here"_ Thought Beast Boy, as he went into a sharp nosedive.

_But where are they now?_

As he landed, he noticed a flash of yellow. Four circular objects were lying in the road. Oh shit. He breathed in, inhaling the scents that hung in the air, and praying there hadn't been too much civilian activity.

_Okay…oil.. That'd be the robot here, or possibly Cyborg. Ah, the familiar smell of hair gel, the cheap sort. That's gotta be ol' spendthrift Robin. Some strange scent, definitely not human, definitely Starfire, and…incense, slight hint of must, and vanilla shampoo…_

Beast Boy looked around in a panic. The lack of any obvious scent meant robots. Frantically he leapt onto the fallen behemoth, searching for any kind of clues. None. He breathed out a sigh of relief- Slade always identified his constructs. Composing himself, he shifted into a wolf, and followed the trail.

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If wolves could swear, then this one would have. Profusely. Whoever the mystery abductor were, they were evidently prepared for this sort of tracking. They had doubled back, crossed water by going over the small stream in the park, and now…

Of all the low tricks, aniseed bombs had to be the worst. Spray some concentrated aniseed scent anywhere where you know a lot of people will walk, and anyone tracking your scent is going to be _completely_ lost. He _knew_ the other scents (especially _hers_) were still there, but his nose wasn't sensitive enough to trace them. No animal's was. Except…

Beast Boy closed his eyes, preparing for the pain to come, and shifted.

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"So, what do you think you'll do against Beast Boy?" Raven asked, more to preoccupy herself than anything else.

"What makes you think I have to do anything?" Immortus asked mildly. "He will have to fight his way through an entire battalion before he becomes a threat, and the chances of that…well, let us just say that while stranger things _have_ happened, they only happen when Mr. Mxyzplk is in town." Immortus smirked at this, before noticing that Raven wasn't looking at him, but over his shoulder.

"In that case, you should start looking for the omnipotent midget. He seems to be in town."

Immortus frowned. "You seem very confident. I cannot see why."

Raven grinned as she observed Immortus's CCTV monitors. It was a terrifying sight.

"That's because you can't see what I can see."

Any pithy comebacks left Immortus the second he stared at the carnage on the screens. The closest he got to coherent thought was gladness that he had invested in robotic soldiers.

It would have been quite messy, otherwise.


	14. Soothe the Savage Beast

**Chapter 14: Soothe the Savage Beast.**

Immortus watched, horrified, as his CCTV cameras panned over a scene of complete destruction. His robotic army lay in pieces, none of which were above a square foot in size. Arms, legs and torsos lay scattered in the corridors, sparks flying from the wires that protruded from their shredded ends.

But of the attacker itself, there was no sign.

Immortus's brain was a whir. What kind of creature could have done this? Nothing on earth that had this kind of destructive power could fit in the corridors, he was sure of it! In fact, he had designed his base with that in mind!

He would have gone over to his console and reviewed the security footage, had he not been interrupted by a knock on the door.

The doors to his inner sanctum were made of a titanium-adamantium alloy. This meant that they were the strongest metal commercially available. Those suckers could stop a grenade. There was no way in _hell_ that any animal was getting through those, and Immortus knew it.

Unfortunately, no one seemed to have told whatever it was that was on the other side.

Immortus watched as dent after dent appeared in the door, claws raking its surface, causing torturous whines to emanate from its surface. At one point, the creature managed to get three claws clear through the metal, which screamed in protest, and Immortus noticed through the growing fear a flash of green, visible through the new holes.

Eventually, the doors gave up, and once the dust had cleared, Immortus found himself looking at the strangest animal he had ever seen. In terms of physique, its forearms resembled that of a gorilla, but ended in huge, clawed paws. Its hind legs were canine in appearance, and its head looked like a strange fusion of wolf, monkey and bat. This hideous amalgamation sported a long, trailing mane, quite unlike anything seen in nature.

With a great, booming roar, the creature charged towards him, cavernous mouth agape. Immortus's brain was screaming instructions, but it was ignored as the behemoth sprang…

Straight over his head, and disappeared into the shadows of his lair. The sound of his roar had awakened the other Titans, and they were looking around in astonishment at their predicament. The being roared again, the echoes in the room making it completely impossible to tell where it was. Immortus snatched up a rifle from his desk and brandished it. He heard the creature move, but it was hard- for something its size, it was _exceptionally _stealthy. He backed up, still looking wildly around, and hit the wall. Alright, now he had his back to a solid object, the thing couldn't sneak up on him. He felt warm air tickle his ear, and surmised he must be near a window.

Wait, since when had he installed windows in an underground lair?

With a scream, Immortus turned and found himself staring deep into the eyes of a nightmare.

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Raven noted the Beast's surprise when the man fainted, but what happened next worried her. The Beast picked the geriatric villain in one huge paw, and raised him above his head, apparently preparing to dash his brains out on the floor.

"Beast Boy, stop!" Her cry was frantic. Beast Boy had been through enough recently; he didn't need a murder on his conscience.

To her eternal relief, the Beast stopped, and dropped the comatose general unceremoniously on the floor. The creature padded towards her, but she panicked when he raised his arm above his head, readying his claws. The others gasped at this seeming act of aggression, but Raven's thoughts were suddenly cast back.

_T__he Beast is _me_. Not some demonic possession, not some Hulk-like alter ego, but _me

_He's quiet around you._

_As far as I can tell, he thinks you're the only 'loyal' pack member._

With Beast Boy's words resounding in her brain, she held her ground, as the razor claws came crashing down, snapping her restraints. She looked up to the Beast, and found herself lost in his eyes.

They were white. No iris, no cornea, just a pure, brilliant white. Nothing on earth had eyes like that. She thought she could see a spark there, a feral, primal intelligence that had nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with the heat of the sun and the feel of the earth and the sounds of wind through the evergreens and the smell after the rains. She was pulled back by the sight of the creature grinning at her, an action that seemed at once so alien, yet so familiar. Slowly, the Beast shrank and contorted, turning into the form of a young, elfin figure, who gave her a weak smile before collapsing.

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	15. Penance and Pensiveness

**Chapter 15: Penance and Pensiveness**

Beast Boy was dead. This Cyborg swore as he climbed the steps to his punishment. The day after he had gone Rambo on Immortus, he had got the other Titans round to discuss something, first making sure that Cyborg was somewhere else. What they had forgotten was that Cyborg could monitor any camera in the Tower from his arm. And lo and behold, they had been brainstorming for his 'punishment', or, as Cyborg now liked to think of it 'public humiliation'.

When he had found out, Cyborg had been gripped with the fear that he would be asked to open up about _his_ past- an eye for an eye, after all, but they seemed a little less cruel than that.

A _little_. Robin, unimaginative as ever, had suggested that he be forced to eat nothing but tofu for a month, but that had been dismissed as too obvious. Starfire had suggested something worryingly specific involving a tutu, a Chihuahua and an "I Lost a Bet" sign. This had been discarded as incomprehensible. Beast Boy had asked to be allowed to drive the T-Car, but (to his eternal gratitude) Robin had vetoed this on the grounds that they weren't supposed to kill civilians. But then _Raven_, of all people, had come up with this, the most humiliating of punishments. With a little tweaking from Beast Boy, since Raven's knowledge of songs was limited, and they had the ultimate in public humiliation.

They were both _so_ dead.

As Cyborg took his place on the stage, and the synthesised notes began their irritating chant, Cyborg heard Beast Boy yell out "With feeling, tin man!", and spotted the green boy at the back, next to a smirking Raven. Having no options left, Cyborg opened his mouth. He was going to take this like a man.

"_We can dance if we want to;_

_We can leave your friends behind._

'_Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance_

_Well they're no friends of mine…"_

_So_ dead.

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Beast Boy grinned. Things were getting back to normal. Humiliate Cy? Check. Act like an imbecile in front of a large crowd? Check. Annoy the hell out of Raven by doing so? Strangely, no. She had seemed preoccupied, and had been casting furtive glances at him all evening. Beast Boy wondered at that. It wasn't like he was going to charge her for looking at him, hell, he encouraged it!

Leaving that intriguing train of thought, Beast Boy flopped down on the sofa. Starfire and Robin had already gone to bed, and Cyborg had retreated to his room the second they had arrived at the tower. And Raven…

"Beast Boy?" Right behind him.

"Yeah?"

"I…wanted to ask you something." Since when was she this nervous? Hell, since when was she _nervous_?

"Well, sure, I guess."

"It's about what I saw when I went into the Beast's mind." Beast Boy turned to look at Raven, but she was studiously avoiding his eyes.

"Which bit?"

Raven breathed in, composing herself. _Alright, we need to deal with this now. If not, it'll sit in the back of my mind, slowly but surely driving me insane. Okay, just ask him, wait for his reply, and, depending on his answer, either phase into my room and hide for a week, or…_

"Rae?"

"Sorry." She seemed to have got a grip on herself, and looked directly into Beast Boy's eyes. "Anyway. You know how the Beast doesn't use names?"

"You mean like Alpha and stuff?" _Uh oh. She can't have…she didn't…I'm gonna die._

"Yeah." She paused for another eternal second. "Beast Boy…" The elfin teen tensed, ready to run at the merest hint of anger, but none were forthcoming. "Why does the Beast call me mate?"

_**Fin.**_

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_**Ha! If anyone was expecting fluff, then they should have looked more closely at my profile page.**_

_**Wow. It's finally done. It's like the end of an era. And now, it's time to thank people.**_

_**The person that can claim the most credit here is Protector of Canon 2. Without Protector's comments, which sent my brain spiralling off on weird tangents, you wouldn't have got the Cyborg scene, which meant you wouldn't have had the three or so chapters that occur as a direct result of that confrontation. So props there.**_

_**I also want to thank the many slightly disturbed people that suggested punishments for Cy. I know I didn't use any of them in the end, but I mentioned a few, and whoever it was that suggested that he ask Bee of Jinx on a date can rest easy knowing that their review was the one that actually got my mind thinking about karaoke. I have a weird mind.**_

_**And, of course, thanks to you, the reader, who slogged through fifteen chapters of this. I'm honoured by your patience. Now go forth and multiply! Or perhaps just read my other stories. They need the love.**_

_**N.B: The song Cyborg was forced to sing was "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, which I don't own and don't want. Look it up on YouTube and imagine Cyborg singing it to understand that scene.**_


End file.
